Popular Features of Business Phone Systems

For most businesses, a business phone system is a vital piece of operating equipment. It is the lifeline between the company and its customers and without one, businesses may find themselves struggling to thrive and bring in new customers.

As important as advertising your business and services is to your success, a customer's ability to be able to reach out to you is as equally important. That is where the right business phone system comes in handy.

Once you have decided on purchasing a business phone system, you can begin to look at the most popular features of business phone systems to decide if you wish to incorporate any of them into your package.

The most basic features of just about every business phone system on the market are:

Automated Attendance/Answering Service. Companies which do not have a need or desire to hire a receptionist with the intention of answering the phones all day long may wish to incorporate this feature. It also is handy to have for after-hours answering. Customers who call your number will be greeted by this automated attendant, which will provide them with a variety of options to direct their call. A list of employees, complete with extension numbers, generally is included in any automated greeting.

Tele-conferencing Features. Most companies prefer the ability to be able to use two or more phones at the same time to hold a conference call. In this day and age, more and more business is being conducted over the phone and over internet web services such as Skype, than in person.

Voicemail Services. Unless your employees are literally chained to their desks, including voicemail as part of your package always is a good idea. Customers who call during lunch hour, while an employee is on break or during non-office hours still have the option to leave a message and have their needs met.

Other basic features which are generally included in any business phone system include call hold, call forwarding, speed dial, redial, paging, music on hold and a back-up source of power that will keep the phone system going for up to an hour in the event of a power failure.

As with any product, there also is the "Cadillac model" for business phone systems. These are the systems which cost the most, but also offer all of the bells and whistles that large companies often prefer.

Once you have decided which features are most important for the operation of your business, do your research. There are multiple companies which offer business phone systems, but not all are created equally. Ask for customer recommendations and seek reviews for the system prior to purchasing.

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